With the verdict in the Pussy Riot trial now just hours away, supporters have ramped up their campaigns in support of the three Russians. Peaches has brought together umpteen collaborators for the video for the above track, ‘Free Pussy Riot’. A punchy number reminiscent of Feminist Sweepstakes-era Le Tigre it calls "church & state, separate" and ends with a chant of "we are all Pussy Riot!". Featured in the video, though if you blink you’ll miss ’em, are members of Le Tigre, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Scissor Sisters, The Knife and so on.
On the other end of the spectrum, Paul McCartney has written a letter of support to the ladies. "Dear Nadya, Katya & Masha, I’m writing to show my support for you at this difficult time," he writes. "I would like you to know that I very much hope the Russian authorities would support the principle of free speech for all their citizens and not feel that they have to punish you for your protest.
"Many people in the civilized world are allowed to voice their opinions and as long as they do not hurt anyone in doing so I believe this is the best way forward for all societies. I hope you can stay strong and believe that I and many others like me who believe in free speech will do everything in our power to support you and the idea of artistic freedom. Wishing you the very best of luck, Paul McCartney"
Back to the leftside, meanwhile, Kathleen Hanna of Le Tigre told Pitchfork how excited she was by the trio as they didn’t see feminism as distinct from wider political issues: "The fact that they are calling themselves feminists really made me excited," she said "And that they are from a different country, and aren’t afraid to talk about stuff that isn’t normally considered under the rubric of feminism. Typically, people think if you’re a feminist, all you talk about is women. But it’s much larger than that; all things are connected. It seemed to me that they clearly [understood] that."
